Bellator middleweight Gegard Mousasi supports the ambitions of Francis Ngannou after his UFC departure.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou has been out of competition since facing Ciryl Gane in Jan. 2022 at UFC 270. He powered through a severe knee injury with a grappling-heavy game plan to defend the title and hand Gane the first loss of his professional career. Following the completion of the final bout on his deal with the promotion, Ngannou chose not to sign a new contract. Company president Dana White announced Ngannou’s exit after a lengthy public feud last month.
Gegard Mousasi supports Francis Ngannou leaving UFC for boxing
In an exclusive interview with James Lynch of Middle Easy, Mousasi shared his thoughts on Francis Ngannou leaving the UFC in hopes of securing a showdown in the boxing ring.
“Yeah, why not? If he can make in one fight what he would make the same amount for three fights that UFC wanted to give him,” said Mousasi. “At the end of the day, we are all prize fighters. You want to make money. Because once you retire, who’s going to talk about you? Don’t chase legacy. Legacy is sh*t. With money, you can buy a house for your mother. It’s better.”
Recently, reports surfaced claiming Ngannou wanted $30 million for a fight in screenshots allegedly from Dominance MMA head Ali Abdelaziz. According to Mousasi, there’s no harm in asking but he doubts Ngannou would get that kind of money in the UFC.
“It could be. I don’t know. I’m not in that business but why not? They’re not going to give him $30 million.”
Mousasi wants to see Ngannou box Deontay Wilder
‘Dreamcatcher’ suggested former boxing champ Deontay Wilder as the suitable opponent for ‘The Predator.’ Both fighters have a reputation for possessing vicious knockout power and a showdown between them would make for entertaining viewing. While Mousasi does not think Ngannou would be victorious in the new sport, he would like to watch it.
“I would like to see him against Deontay Wilder,” Mousasi added. “That would be a fun fight because they are both hard hitters. Against Tyson Fury, he’s going to lose. He’s probably going to lose a lot of fights in boxing but it’s still going to be fun to watch.”
Gegard Mousasi is scheduled to take on Fabian Edwards in the headlining bout of Bellator 296 on May 12 at the Accor Arena in Paris, France.
You can watch the full video below.
